| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Percy Peak, South Percy Peak, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Percy Loop Trail, South Percy Path |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 12, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking for about 1/2 dozen cars at the Percy Loop TH's south end, and about the same for the north end. Nash Stream Road is in excellent shape. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The trails don't cross any significant streams, but those are running pretty good. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails are in good shape, and although many slabs on the trails are damp there's enough dry/firm ground to be safe on if you take care. South Percy path is definitely "maintained" (cut logs/branches) despite not being official. It is also marked with a sign at its Old Summer Club trail junction.
See comments below for thoughts about the abandoned West Side/Underhill Trail, which I tried to follow. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one dog on the trail. They need to be good at slab climbing! |
|
 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes were pretty prevalent down low, especially along Nash Stream Road on the way back (this wet summer's been a boon for them). Fortunately, they were largely absent from the summits. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Great day on the Percys, with superb views. There are tons of blueberries up there now, so that's another good reason to hike them now!
I tried to find and follow the West Side/Underhill Trail, abandoned decades ago. There was a recent conditions report for that trail on here, but it didn't give many details. Online beta is sparse, but it did pinpoint the place where the trail used to branch off - at the top of the so-called "slab of death" (the first long thin slab that the trail steeply parallels before turning sharply right and traversing the slope).
The West Side Trail continues paralleling the next slab after the regular trail makes that sharp turn right - there is some evidence of a tread at its beginning, but I could only find the very small remnants of two blue paint blazes within the first few yards after leaving the main trail. I scouted up for a couple hundred vertical feet - woods aren't too thick, but the tread became more uncertain after the first hundred yards and I found no more blazes. As more slabs began to appear, I didn't want to risk going up ever steeper and potentially more hazardous slopes without making sure I was actually on what was left of the trail. It has been a rainy summer and there are significant wet spots on pretty much every slab (the amount of damp slab was especially striking as seen from South Percy). So I aborted that attempt and stuck to the regular trails the rest of the way. I didn't see any blue blazes near the top of North Percy either, though my search there was pretty cursory.
It's my opinion that the West Side Trail route is now more or less a true bushwhack and should only be attempted with someone who's been up that way before or has very good beta, or when the rock is quite dry. Otherwise, it's pretty risky.
|
|
 | Name: |
Dan Saxton |
|
 | E-Mail: |
daniel.saxton7@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2023-08-12 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
|
